Railway truck structure



Nov. 9, 1937.

M. PF LAGER RAILWAY TRUK STRUCTURE s Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed March 29, 1934 Nov. 9,- 1937. H. M; PF LAGER .RAILWAY TRUCK STRUCTURE 3 Sheets-Shget 5 Original Filed March 29, 1934 22 g j/orngg Patented Nov. 9, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RAILWAY moon STRUCTURE Application March 29,

1934", Serial. No; 717,921

Renewed October 2,1937.

7 Claims.

This invention relates to streamlining of railway rolling stock and consists in novel truck structure particularly arranged for streamlined vehicles.

- I In order to attainv maximum reduction in air resistance tothe movement of the vehicle and maximum economy of operation for a given speed, it is necessary that a maximum amount of the outer contour of the vehicle be streamlined.

I01 Streamlining the bodies and upper parts of'railroad cars and locomotives has been suggested and in a co-pending application Serial No. 703,- 806, filed December 23, 1933 by the present inventor, is illustrated means contributing substanlm tially to this end by eliminating the pockets between adjacent cars in a train and streamlining the connections.

As far as applicant is aware, no efiective effort has been made to streamline the under portions of railway vehicles and in particular the trucks supporting the car bodies from the rails have not been streamlined even though these parts are very irregular in outer contour and obviously produce a great deal of air turbulence and re- 28 sistance.

The main object of the present invention is to provide a novel streamlined railroad truck which will materially reduce. air resistance particularly when the vehicle is traveling at high speed. An-

other co-pending application Serial No. 717,920,

filed of even date therewith by the present inventor, illustrates and claims a novel streamlined railroad car underframe which is particularly adapted for use with trucksembodying 36 the features of the present invention and reference is hereby made to that application.

Another object of the invention is to reduce turbulence in the air beneath the vehicle body andsurrounding the trucks which tends to stir 4 up dirt to the discomfort of passengers and to the injury of the equipment.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the present invention Figure 1 is a top View of a truck embodying the invention, half of the streamline sheeting being omitted to disclose the underlying structure.

Figures 2 and 4 are vertical longitudinal" sections taken on the corresponding section lines of Figure 1, portions being omitted in Figure 4 to clarify the disclosure.

Figure 3 is a side view of the truck in Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a vertical transverse section taken on the broken line 55 of Figure 1.

55. Figure 6 is an end View of the truck.

Figure lisa verticaltransverse section taken on the line l-'I. of Figure 8 and illustrating a modification.

Figure 8 isa. partial top view of the modified truck.v

Figure-9:is:an end View of thesame.

' The truck. illustrated utilizes. one-piece framing including side frames or wheel pieces I, transoms. 2,: and truss-like end members generally. indicated at Av and formed of vertically spaced: transverse members 3?. and 3a and longitudinally converging members 3 and 4a. Supported from the transomsl by the swing hangers 5i is=a spring plank]; which carries bolster springs l:- mounting the bolster generally indicated at Slidable in the pedestals8 are the usual journal boxes Frreceiving the journal portions of wheeled axles l0? Equalizers ll. paralleling the side frame'son each side rest on the journal boxes and support-the truck frame through coiled springs I22. Mounted on the bolster Bis the center plate I3 which receives and supports the complementary center plate l4 depending from the body bolster I5. The body: underframe center sills i6 2 are shown. upwardly recessed adjacent the center. plate 14 to clear, the center portion of the truck and are deepened in each direction longitudinally from the center plate M, the portion at the left or outer end thereof, as indicated in Figure 2, constituting the draft sills ll provided'with the usual draft lugs and guide ribs I8; Extending from side to side and from end to end of the underframe beneath the bolsters IS, the center sills Hi, the side sills l9, and the transoms 20, is the sheeting 2| providing a smooth streamlined undersurface therefor. Depending through) suitable perforations in the sheeting 2! arethe: body sidebearings 22 for cooperating withthe truckside bearings 23 on the ends of the bolster B. Thisvstreamlined body underfraineis described andiclaimed in detail in the abovementionedco-pending application Serial No. T179201 To eliminate the numerous irregularities in the outer contour of the truck, the truck is substan-. tially entirely enclosed in sheeting 24 extending around its under, top, side, and end portions, which sheeting provides-a smoothly curving and longitudinallytapering streamlined'contour. The under portion of' the sheeting is supported at each side by ties 25, extending-between the inner pedestaljaws 8 on each side beneath the corresponding equalizer II, and ties 2B connecting the outer pedestal jaws 8 oneach side with the transverse members 3a, 4a of the adjacent end structures. At the center, the bottom sheeting is supported by U-shaped brackets 21 secured, respectively, to the transoms 2.

The sides of the top portions of the sheeting are elevated as at 23 to clear the truck wheels and brake rigging, and are carried at the sides on the wheel pieces 5 and the ends'of the top sheeting are carried upon the end structures. The

intermediate portions of the top sheeting are supported and braced by the transverse angles 29. The side portions of the sheeting are bulged outwardly to clear the bolster springs 1 and are braced at the top adjacent the'wheel pieces I by rectangularly disposed angles 30and 3|. At the ends the truck sheeting is supported and braced in the converging hood-shaped contour indicated in Figures 1 and 3 by the triangular end structures.

The sheeting is shown as extending continuously without seams on all sides .of the truck but this sheeting may be formed of a plurality of plates united by welding or riveting. Openings 32, 34 and 33 in the top portion of the truck sheeting accommodate, respectively, the side bearings 23, the center plate l3, and the brake levers 35 and 35a, the latter being anchored to the bracket 36 projecting from the end member 3. Openings 2 la in the underframe sheeting 2| accommodate thebrake connections 34b between the truck and the brake equipment inside the enclosed underframe structure. At the bottom the sheeting is perforated as at 3141 for the truck wheels 31. The side portions of the sheeting are provided with openings adjacent the wheels and provided with upwardly swinging collapsible doors 38, permitting access to the journal boxes and associated structure. Between the doors 38 is a larger downwardly swinging door 39 for permitting access to the bolster, equalizer springs, etc. The openings for doors 39 are reinforced at the edges by angular doorway framing 40 and 4|. The smaller openings for doors 38 are provided along their inner edges with reinforcing strips 42.

Projecting from the center of the upper portion of the sheeting and surrounding the opening therein for the center plate I 3 is the approximately oval-shaped collar or hollow housing 43 which receives a similarly shaped collar or housing 44 depending from the body underframe around the center bearing 14. These interfitting collars or housings serve to streamline the center connection between the truck and body underframe. This feature is further described and claimed in detail .in the above-mentioned copending application Serial No. '717,920.

The truck construction in Figures 7 to 9 is similar to that in the form just described except that the truss-like end construction C includes the hood-shaped longitudinally tapering web 45 formed integral therewith. This web 45 is rabbeted as at 46 along its inner edges and is joined, preferably by welding, to the top and bottom portions 41 and 28 of the streamline sheeting; The contour of the sheeting and general'arrangement of the truck is otherwise the same.

As clearly indicated in the drawings, the truck enclosing casing conforms substantially with the longitudinally smoothly curving lines which pro-.

duce minimum disturbance of the air through which the vehicle is moving and consequent minimum air resistance to this movement. The casing forms a substantially unbroken enclosure for the truck structure and affords protection against the admission of dirt and water to'the journal boxes, springs, brake rigging, and other relatively moving parts, and tends to maintain the truck in a cleaner condition than is possible with the ordinary truck structure.

The details of the truck framing and equipment illustrated are not essential and the broad features of the invention may be advantageously applied to substantially any kind of truck and will substantially reduce the air resistance ofiered to movement thereof. Moreover, the general contour of the streamline sheeting may be varied to conform with particular truck and underframe conditions. The exclusive use of all such modifications as come within the scope of the appended claims is contemplated.

I claim:

1. In a railway vehicle truck, center bearing elements, a top cover having an aperture for said center bearing elements, and a hollow housing projecting upwardly from said cover around said aperture, said cover and housing being shaped to reduce air resistance of the upper parts of said truck and said center bearing elements.

2. A railway vehicle truck constructed and arranged for engaging and pivotally supporting the vehicle body and having streamlined top cover structure independent of the vehicle body and closely following the adjacent contour of the truck, portions of said structure intermediate the sides of the truck being substantially depressed lengthwise of the truck in comparison with the side portions thereof to accommodate irregularities in the under surface of the supported vehicle body underframe.

3. In a railway vehicle truck, spaced axles, wheels and outside journal boxes thereon, a frame including wheel pieces carried on said journal boxes and transverse transoms depressed at their intermediate portions below the level of said wheel pieces, a truck bolster having a body supporting center plate at a level below said wheel pieces, and a closure for said truck including a top plate extending between and carried by said Wheel pieces and transoms and extending over said bolster and depressed intermediate said wheel pieces to accommodate body structure resting on said center plate.

4. In a railway vehicle truck, spaced axles, wheels and outside journal boxes thereon, a frame including wheel pieces carried on said journal boxes, a truck bolster, spring supported from said frame and having a body supporting center plate at a level below said wheel pieces, and a closure for said truck including a plate extending between said wheel pieces and depressed intermediate the same to accommodate body structure resting on said center plate.

5. In a railway vehicle truck, spaced axles, wheels and outside journal boxes thereon, a frame including wheel pieces carried on said journal boxes and located below the level of the tops of said wheels, a truck center plate located below said level, and a closure for the truck including a plate between said wheel pieces with raised portions extending over said wheels and depressed portions surrounding said center plate.

6. In a railway vehicle truck arranged for pivotal attachment to a vehicle body, spaced axles, wheels and outside journal boxes thereon, a frame including wheel pieces carried on said journal boxes, a closure for said truck and movable therewith and including a fiat bottom plate extending from side to side of the truck adjacent to the bottom of said wheels and apertured for the downward projection of said wheels therethrough and also including side plates extending upwardly from said bottom plate and outside of said journal boxes and then inclined upwardly and inwardly for attachment to said wheel pieces and then extending inwardly and downwardly to cover the truck structure and to accommodate portions of the vehic1e body beneath the level of the sides of the truck.

7. In a railway vehicle truck arranged for pivotal attachment to a vehicle body, spaced axles, Wheels and outside journal boxes thereon, a frame including wheel pieces carried on said journal boxes, a closure for said truck and movable therewith and including a fiat bottom plate extending from side to side and from end to end of the truck adjacent to the bottom of said wheels and apertured for the downward projection of said wheels therethrough and also including side plates extending upwardly from said bottom plate and outside of said journal boxes and then inclined upwardly and inwardly'for attachment to said wheel pieces and then extending inwardly and downwardly to cover the truck structure and to accommodate portions of the vehicle body beneath the level of the sides of the truck said closure also including end plates extending upwardly and inwardly for attachment to the ends of said frame.

HARRY M. PFLAGER. 

